


Curiosity Didn't Kill the Cat, but the Cat Might Kill the Curious

by Peppermint_Miraculous (Peppermint_Shamrock)



Series: Peppermint's Rare Pair Month Oneshots [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Kwamis Are Gods, OOC Kwamis, Rare Pair Month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 12:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17406542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peppermint_Shamrock/pseuds/Peppermint_Miraculous
Summary: Adrien keeps disappearing on her, and Kagami is determined to get answers, even if it means crossing an ancient being of immeasurable power.Written for ML Rare Pair Month Day 13 Prompt - Don't Go





	Curiosity Didn't Kill the Cat, but the Cat Might Kill the Curious

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the same AU as the Alyanette fic from last week, where the heroes don't know their own identities.
> 
> Again, the kwamis are _very_ different in this AU, to the point of pretty much being different characters. Plagg is not going to be very friendly here.
> 
> Also, I'm trying out the workskin feature~

Despite her general fondness for him, there were two things that frustrated Kagami about Adrien. One was that he never stood up for himself. The other was that he had a habit of disappearing at inconvenient times. Naturally, her patience with these faults ran dry fairly quickly. But no amount of chastising him for either made any difference, so Kagami decided to change tactics. When the opportunity arose, she would pit these two impulses against each other, and see how it played out.

The opportunity came on their next date.

Well, it was not _officially_ a date. If they’d wanted it to be an official date, they probably would’ve had to file paperwork with each others’ parents, and neither was keen on entering into some sort of controlling contract to oversee their relationship – even if it was a pretty fair bet that the parents would approve. At least, Kagami was reasonably sure her mother would find Adrien to be an acceptable suitor for her. She was less sure about how Adrien’s father felt about her, but from what she had gathered from Adrien, the man wouldn’t care as long as he had control over the situation.

So for now, their dates were low-key outings, which needed no more approval than any other friendly situation. It was a simple matter to enjoy a meal at a café together.

Except, of course, when Kagami recognized that vague, unfocused look that always preceded Adrien’s disappearances. He started to stand up and make some excuse, but Kagami quickly grabbed his wrist. Adrien’s eyes came back into focus, and he looked between her hand and her face.

“Kagami…?”

“It can wait, whatever it is,” she said firmly. “Stay.”

He hesitated, but after a moment, sat back down. However, he did not continue eating, seeming increasingly restless. Nor could he give much of an answer to what was bothering him. It almost seemed to Kagami that he didn’t know what was wrong, himself. Twice more, he started to stand up, and twice more Kagami insisted he stay. On the second time, she almost thought he might start arguing with her. Which would at least be an improvement, and perhaps he would be able to explain _why_ he kept taking off at odd times. But after a moment, he seemed to reconsider, and again returned to his seat.

A shadow fell over them briefly, and Kagami looked up to see an Akuma leaping across the rooftops above them, Ladybug hot on their trail. Some nearby groups began screaming, but Kagami paid it no mind. Really, supervillains were a common enough occurrence that she barely noticed it anymore.

But Adrien started to bolt. Kagami was faster, however, and caught up to him.

“There’s an Akuma…we should hide!” he said, when she grabbed his wrist again.

“They went that way, Adrien. They’re not going to be bothering coming back here, we have nothing that they want. And even if they did cause trouble, Ladybug would fix it anyway. We’re not in any danger.”

For a moment, he stood still, the only motion in his face. She studied it, wondering what would win out: his desire to please or his desire to leave?

He pulled away.

“I’m sorry, Kagami, but I have to…I can’t explain it, but I can’t stay here right now,” he said, eyes wide and pleading, with a strange urgency in his words and the tenseness of his body.

She released him, having received her answer. He sounded completely sincere, and whatever was calling him away was stronger than his inability to stick up for himself. That was an interesting observation in itself.

Still, she tried to follow him as he fled. If he was truly just trying to hide from the Akuma (which she doubted, since he had wanted to leave long before either of them had noticed an Akuma running around the city), there was no reason that she couldn’t come with him. Yet, she had the sense that he was trying to avoid her, and soon enough, she lost him in the streets.

She considered what to do. She decided to head back to the café, and assumed that he would meet her back there. Of course, if he really was trying to avoid her, then would he even return? Kagami frowned. He’d never given much indication that he found her company uncomfortable or unwelcome – in fact, he had been the one to ask her out in the first place, even if he had done so awkwardly and unsure of himself. No…she didn’t think this was about her, or at least, not _just_ about her. But perhaps she should try and contact Adrien’s friends, and ask if he’d disappeared on them often, too. If they hadn’t noticed anything, then perhaps it was just her. But if not, perhaps they could offer an explanation…

Kagami sat back down at their table, alone, and ignored the looks of pity she received. She could only imagine what the onlookers had thought of her running after her date and returning alone, and she didn’t care for their judgment. She didn’t even look up as the waves of magical ladybugs restored the city – the damage was far from there, anyway – contenting herself with her phone as she waited.

“Hey.”

She looked up as Adrien reseated himself across from her.

“So what was that about?” she asked.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Just, with how overprotective my father is, he’d freak out if I didn’t hide whenever there’s a supervillain about. I don’t want him to pull me out of school.”

That _sounded_ reasonable, and sincere. That was usually the case whenever Adrien was confronted about his disappearances. He never gave the impression that he was trying to hide something, or that he thought there was anything unusual about his behavior. Kagami might have even believed it, except it didn’t match up with how he had acted when she had tried to stop him. That urgency, desperation, even – there was none of that in his manner, now, nor any indication that he’d ever had it. Something was amiss, even if Adrien didn’t realize it…or _want_ to realize it.

It was not even a week later that Kagami found out what _it_ was.

This time, their “date” was an independent fencing practice between the two of them. And, not too surprisingly, it was interrupted by Adrien once again becoming unfocused.

“I’m going to go get water,” he said, and was it just her imagination, or was there the faintest faraway quality to his voice?

But, fortunately, Kagami had come prepared, starting to anticipate what sort of excuses he might use, and procured her own water bottle. “Here,” she said, pushing it at him.

He blinked, and he refocused on the bottle in her hand. “That’s yours,” he said. “I couldn’t…”

“Don’t be so hesitant,” she chastised. “Just open it up like this and pour, your mouth will never touch the bottle. No contamination.”

He looked unsure, but accepted the drink, and they continued. Still, just like before, he seemed uncomfortable and restless, unable to focus on continuing their practice.

“I think I need a break,” he said, shifting back and forth on his feet. “I’ll just be a bit…”

“Okay,” Kagami said, and grabbed his hand. He blinked in surprise as she led him into the locker room herself, and seated them both on the bench.

“What are you doing?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Taking a break, like you said.”

“Oh. I didn’t mean for…I mean, it was just me, you didn’t have to…”

“There’s no point in practicing without an opponent.”

“I suppose,” Adrien said, and fell silent, still shifting restlessly. He kept glancing at Kagami’s hand, as she hadn’t released him yet. “I…”

“Why are you trying to avoid me, Adrien?”

“What? No, I’m not! I…”

“Yes you are,” Kagami said, withdrawing her hand as she turned to face him directly. “You keep doing this, running off like you have somewhere else you need to be, and you don’t want me around.”

“That’s not it!” he insisted. “I just needed a break, that’s all. It’s not you.”

“No,” she agreed, studying his face, “it’s not me, is it? But nevertheless, you’re trying to get away right now. I can see it in your posture; your body is tensed to run. And either you’re running away from me or you’re running to somewhere…wherever it is you keep disappearing to.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Adrien said, even as he stood up. He looked uncertain, even worried. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“But you have. Many times,” Kagami said, standing up herself and approaching him. “You keep disappearing, always with some excuse when you come back. I don’t think you’re lying to me, but something doesn’t add up. Can you just tell me the reason you need to leave? The _real_ reason.”

“There isn’t…” he said, backing up as he shook his head. “I’m not…”

“Just think about it!” Kagami insisted. “Something is going on with you.”

Adrien opened his mouth to respond, but in the next instant, something changed. His eyes went completely unfocused and Kagami felt a chill run up her spine as he went strangely still. Something was very, very wrong. A seizure? A stroke? No, it couldn’t be that…but had she pushed him too far and caused him to have a medical incident? Was that what all these disappearing episodes were?

The dark, unnatural fog that began seeping off of him dispelled any thoughts that this might’ve been a mere medical problem. Black as night, it clung unnaturally to Adrien like wisps of smoke, surrounding him so that he was only visible briefly as it continuously shifted. And then the insubstantial mass spoke, with a voice that was most certainly not human.

 _ **Stop interfering**_ , it hissed.

Kagami took a step back, and brandished her foil at the unnatural entity. Having lived in Paris for some time now, she was not afraid of what was clearly magical, even if she was certain that this thing, whatever it was, was not an Akuma. It felt…older, somehow, and maybe stronger. And a foil wouldn’t do much even against a perfectly human enemy – but it was something.

“What are you doing to Adrien?” she demanded.

_**Nothing that he didn’t agree to.** _

“That doesn’t count for much when he’s such a pushover. And he doesn’t even know that he’s agreed to anything, does he?”

_**No. But it is none of your concern. Do not interfere. Do not speak of this to him. Let him leave without questions.** _

“Why? What are you making him do?” Kagami said, gripping the blade tightly.

_**It is none of your concern.** _

Kagami scoffed. “It is very much my concern, you’re routinely kidnapping my boyfriend and he has no idea it’s even happening. I’ll say this only once: Let. Him. Go. I don’t care what you’re using him for, I’m not going to stand for it.”

_**Don’t test my patience, human – I am not known for it.** _

It was probably a stupid idea, but Kagami was a woman of action, so she charged forward, slashing her blade at the smoke. It hissed again, recoiling and then surging forward to meet her blow. As the foil came into contact with the ethereal smoke, rust spread like veins through the metal, before it crumbled into dust, hilt and blade and all. Kagami stepped back, breathing heavily as she stared at the space that her foil had been only a moment before.

The smoke grew dense.

 _ **I could level this city with a**_ **BREATH** , it growled. _**You are fortunate that I enable its defense rather than its destruction. This is your one warning – do not interfere. Do not tell anyone of me. Do not push Adrien or anyone else into looking into this further. Or else I may decide that you are too much of a liability.**_

The threat hung in the air as the smoke receded until only traces of it lingered around Adrien’s skin, as he walked away, trance-like and unseeing, out of the locker room. Kagami was too shaken to follow. That thing, whatever it was, had completely obliterated her foil with such ease…and she had no doubt that it could, and would, do the same to her if she pushed too far.

But she couldn’t just leave Adrien at its mercy.She had to find out what it was doing with him, and maybe from there she could find a way to stop it. She couldn’t follow or get any information out of Adrien, but…

The remains of her foil caught Kagami’s eye. She bent low to the ground, scooping up some of it. It was little more than dust, but something about it was oddly familiar, something she had seen before.

The entity’s parting words echoed in her mind. _You are fortunate that I enable its defense_ …

 _Oh_. She sucked in a breath, letting the dust sift through her open fingers and fall back to the ground, as a single word fell to the forefront of her mind.

_Cataclysm._

**Author's Note:**

> Check out [my Dreamwidth page](https://peppermint-shamrock.dreamwidth.org/) for daily WIP excerpts and sneak peeks.


End file.
